2017/1〜2、欧州でヨウ素131の濃度が上昇 CTBTOは核実験ではないと見ている

ENENEWS2017/2/20
‘Mystery’: Radiation spikes being detected in many countries − US military secretly deploys ‘nuclear sniffer’ aircraft − Radioactivity levels quadrupled − Officials: Iodine-131 is “proof of rather recent release… the origin of which is still unknown”

The Aviationist, Feb 19 2017 (emphasis added): U.S. Air Force deploys WC-135 nuclear sniffer aircraft to UK as spike of radioactive Iodine levels is detected in Europe… Along with monitoring nuke testing, the WC-135 is used to track radioactive activity as happened after the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster in the Soviet Union in 1986 and Fukushima incident back in 2011… As of yet, there has been no official statement from the U.S. military about the reasons why such nuclear research aircraft was deployed there.

Iodine-131 (131I), a radionuclide of anthropogenic origin, has recently been detected in tiny amounts in the ground-level atmosphere in Europe. The preliminary report states it was first found during week 2 of January 2017 in northern Norway. Iodine-131 was also detected in Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, France and Spain, until the end of January.

However, no one seems to know the reason behind the released Iodine-131. Along with nuclear power plants, the isotope is also widely used in medicine and its presence in the air could be the effect of several different incidents.

Barents Observer, Feb 19, 2017: … radioactive Iodine-131 of unknown origin was in January detected over large areas in Europe. Since the isotope has a half-life of only eight days, the detection is a proof of a rather recent release. Where the radioactivity is coming from is still a mystery… Iodine-131 in the air could come from an incident with a nuclear reactor… Someone out there knows why the radioactivity was spread over larger areas of Europe… Nuclear installations [where] radioactivity was first discovered, includes nuclear power plants in Finland, Sweden and Russia… The source could as well come from even further away installations.

“It was rough weather in the period when the measurements were made, so we can’t trace the release back to a particular location. Measurements from several places in Europe might indicate it comes from Eastern Europe,” Liland explains.

“Increased levels of radioactive iodine in air were made in northern-Norway, northern-Finland and Poland in week two, and in other European countries the following two weeks, Astrid Liland says.

Iodine-131 in the air could come from an incident with a nuclear reactor. The isotope is also widely used in medicine and for that purpose; many countries around the globe produce it.

IRSN (France’s Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety Institute), Feb 13, 2017: Iodine-131 (131I), a radionuclide of anthropogenic origin, has recently been detected in tiny amounts in the ground-level atmosphere in Europe. The preliminary report states it was first found during week 2 of January 2017 in northern Norway. Iodine-131 was also detected in Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, France and Spain, until the end of January. Iodine-131 is a radionuclide with a short half-life (T1/2 = 8.04 day). The detection of this radionuclide is proof of a rather recent release… the origin of which is still unknown… Lead-210 [concentration detected by IRSN peaked at 1600 μBq/m3 in January, four times higher than the usual mean value]… It must be pointed out that only particulate iodine was reported. When detectable, gaseous iodine is usually dominant and can be estimated to be 3 to 5 times higher than the fraction of particulate iodine. In France, particulate 131I reached 0.31 μBq/m3 and thus the total (gaseous + particulate fractions) can be estimated at about 1.5 μBq/m3.

この問題は、個人のブログなどでも取り上げられており、起源は東欧の可能性とする当局に近い筋の推測に対して、セラフィールドを含むあちこちの核施設が放出源となっている可能性が高いとの見方が出ています。

この冬、欧州は厳しい寒波で原発はフル稼働、無理を重ねているのではないかとの見方も出ています。

この件の情報が広まって、行動する人は行動している。ホワイトフードの2017/2/23のメールから

「フランス国営の放射線防護・原子力安全研究所の発表によると、放射性物質のヨウ素131（Iodine-131）が先月から欧州全域で検出される状況となっています。日本に影響ないかとのお問合せをお客さまから多くいただきました。

福島原発事故の時はアメリカまで放射性物質が降下したことを考えると、用心するにこしたことはないと思っています。甲状腺がんの予防のために、当面は昆布などヨードを多く含む食品をいつもより多めに取ることをおすすめします。

このニュースの関係で既に品薄になってしまっておりますが、ホワイトフードでは北海道産の昆布をご用意しております。」

この記事の初出は2017/2/20の深夜でした。私は昆布注文せずに海外にいる方と情報交換しました。

ENENEWS2017/2/25
Wakefield Express, Feb 24, 2017: Mysterious radioactive cloud moves towards UK… The spike has sparked speculation that Russian president Vladimir Putin is testing nuclear weapons… However, the CTBTO (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation) ruled out a nuclear test had recently taken place… It’s possible that the particles could have come from an incident at a nuclear reactor. The compounds may also have also come from an Iodine plant. Iodine-131 has a very short half life of just eight days, making it very radioactive…

CTBTOの観測網でも放出源は特定できていない。ただ核実験ではないとしているようです。